1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to network processors and, in particular, to content addressable memory (CAM) in network processors.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Networks enable computers and other devices to communicate with each other. Devices commonly communicate with each other by passing packets of information among themselves. A packet typically includes a payload and a header. The header can include the address of the destination device and the payload can include the information (data, video, audio, etc.) for the device.
A given packet may “hop” across many different intermediate network devices, such as switches, routers, bridges, etc., before reaching its destination. The intermediate devices often perform a variety of packet processing operations. For example, intermediate devices often perform address lookup and packet classification to determine how to forward the packet further towards its destination or to determine the quality of service to provide to the packet. Conventional methods of determining how to forward a packet tend to be relatively slow, however.